Can I just take a regular onion from the grocery store and plant it? Or is there a special way to plant onions? And how do they grow? Is it like potatoes where you plant one seed and get a bunch or do you only get one per onion planted? Sorry, I don't know anything about planting onions, obviously! :P And when should I plant them? I'm in Northeast Ohio.

you can still plant them now. *you can start them from sets, which lool like little bags of miniature onions,which are probably sold out by now, but check southern States or a feed store. stay away from TSC. I told the manager his onion sets are priced outrageously and he agreed with me. 2.89 for a little bag of 8o sets. At Southern States they sold for 90 cents. * I take the corner of a how and pull it through the soil to *make a little trench, when it is dry I pour water in it. then I set the onion sets in it, roots down. plant them about 2 inches apart, then rake dirt over them. Later, when they are big enough, pull every second one for green onions. that thins them and you get green onions. *Seeds I started in a pan and when they come up they look a bit like chives or some kind of grass. *When they are big enough transplant them like onion sets. *Good luck. *

oh, and there are old fashioned onions like walking onions and tater onions. I do not have experience with them. I am sure someone on here can tell you all about them and I can learn something new too.

Daffodil, there isn't much sense in buying an onion and planting it to produce one onion. However, it could probably be left and not harvested and produce many &quot;sets&quot; for you to plant.

I plant regular onions from sets. I also keep &quot;winter onions&quot; which is similar to leeks. But they are still onions. They put out &quot;sets&quot; at the top of the green and when those mature, they look like tiny miniature onions. That is like the &quot;seed&quot;. You take those and plan them for the next year's harvest. Winter onions are called that because they can be left in the ground and come back on their own every year. I like them. &quot;Regular&quot; onions don't come back the next year if left in the ground, I don't think. Someone else will have to chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Onions are really easy to grow. Just as easy as bookwormom made it sound.

Regular bulb onions are biennials, so a regular onion from the store will set seed and not produce an acceptable onion crop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffodil

And how do they grow? Is it like potatoes where you plant one seed and get a bunch or do you only get one per onion planted?

Regular bulb onions only produce one plant per seed or set.
There are dividing-type onions that will multiply much like potatoes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffodil

Sorry, I don't know anything about planting onions, obviously! :P And when should I plant them? I'm in Northeast Ohio.

Regular bulbing onions can be planted in spring as early as the ground can be worked.
Sets are the easy way to go, but there's advantages to planting started onion plants or starting your own plants from seed.
Onions from seeds or plants, instead of sets, produce better, are hardier and store better.

ANS chipminks will eat onions off under the ground.
Paul the onion you refer to as a &quot;winter onion&quot; is what we call a walking onion. The lil sets on the end of the blade mature and fall to the ground and start the process all over again.
The onions that Martin is saying multiply like potatoes we call &quot;tater onions&quot; (yes thats hillbillie) for potatoe onions. You plant the big ones to make lil ones and plant the lil ones to make big ones.
Here in Kentucky I usually plant onions in the fall and harvest in June. Am also thinking or raising my own onion sets this year. It is hard in this area to find sets in early spring to plant.

From what I've been reading, the walking onions and winter onions are the same thing. Walking onion is probably more correct. From what I've read there are two types of walking onions. There is the Egyptian Topset and the Catawissa Topset. The Catawissa Topset appears to be the type that we have here simply because the Catawissa gets bigger and mine seem to fit the height description more than the Egyptian Topset. I think I read that they originated in Canada.

Also, the walking onions are winter hardy to -35 F. Something else I never knew is that the sets are called bulbis... and they are edible.

From what I've been reading, the walking onions and winter onions are the same thing. Walking onion is probably more correct. From what I've read there are two types of walking onions. There is the Egyptian Topset and the Catawissa Topset. The Catawissa Topset appears to be the type that we have here simply because the Catawissa gets bigger and mine seem to fit the height description more than the Egyptian Topset. I think I read that they originated in Canada.

Also, the walking onions are winter hardy to -35 F. Something else I never knew is that the sets are called bulbis... and they are edible.

Paul

The Catawissa supposedly originated near Catawissa, PA
They are usually taller than standard Egyption walking onions, but what truly sets them apart is the fact that they produce topsets on top of topsets.

The Catawissa supposedly originated near Catawissa, PA
They are usually taller than standard Egyption walking onions, but what truly sets them apart is the fact that they produce topsets on top of topsets.

Who'd a thunk it? Well Martin with that description I guess I got the walkin Egyptions then. Cause mine have like bulb or bulbis in 2 different places on the tops. Dang that made muh head hurt. Have been edumacated.
Thanks guys for all the info.

sounds very interesting. I got a few starts from a friend in Texas and they have not started doing anything as of now. Heck I am really curious. so when do you get regular onions from these? do they make the bulbis the first or the second year?
and does anyone here raise tater onions? I gather they multiply like gladiolas?

Well Paul I think it was me who had the brain cell misfire. Dang it I got walkin onions of some type, they do have sets on top of the stem on top of a stem. My bad.

Bookwrmom you are correct about tater onions multiplying like glad bulbs. We use such a large number of onions that it is hard to have enough to use and re-set. So I am thinkin this year of raising set for maybe Stuttgarter onions. We have a gardening book that says ya can get a bushel of onion sets from one ounce of seed. I would be happy with half that amount.